VS Code Still Broken After Reinstalling? Here’s How to Actually Factory Reset It

Here are the 4 simple steps to completely reset VS Code on Windows and Mac.

Step 1: Turn Off Backup & Sync (Optional but Recommended)

Before you start deleting things, open VS Code and click the Gear Icon in the bottom left. If you are signed in, sign out.

If you leave sync on, as soon as you reinstall and log back in, VS Code will download all the buggy settings you are trying to escape.

Step 2: Save Your Custom Shortcuts (Optional)

If you rely on custom shortcut keys, back them up before the purge.

1. Open the Command Palette.
2. Go to Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON).
3. Copy all the text and paste it into a safe Notepad file. (You can paste this back in later).

Step 3: Delete the Hidden Settings Files

Close VS Code completely before doing this. You need to navigate to the hidden configuration folder and delete (or cut and paste as a backup) the Code folder.

• Windows: C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\Code

• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Code

(Note for Windows users: If you can’t see AppData, click View > Show Hidden Items).

Step 4: Delete Your Extensions

Extensions are the usual suspects when VS Code starts misbehaving, and they are stored in a completely different directory. Go to this path and delete everything inside the extensions folder:

• Windows: C:\Users\<YourUser>\.vscode\extensions

• Mac: ~/.vscode/extensions

You’re Done!

Launch Visual Studio Code. You will be greeted with the default welcome screen, a completely empty extensions tab, and a fresh, snappy environment.